Martin Scorsese, priest of the silver screen

Martin Scorsese, Priest of the Silver Screen

In his youth, Martin Scorsese dreamed of becoming a priest. For him, the calling felt higher than even the presidency of the United States. Yet fate led him to another kind of pulpit — the director’s chair.

Early Life in Little Italy

The year was 1953, and the setting was New York City’s Little Italy. Scorsese, at eleven, lived with his parents and brother in a small apartment. His uncle shared the same building, and his grandparents were only a short walk away. That close-knit circle gave him comfort, but beyond it, the streets were far less kind.

The Lower East Side teemed with tough men, hustlers, and gamblers. They gathered on corners, exchanging jokes or stories — and, when tempers flared, blows and even bullets.

Isolation and Observation

Because of severe asthma, young Scorsese rarely went far from home. His illness kept him indoors, but it also sharpened his perception of the world around him. From his window, he studied the streets below, turning observation into a lifelong habit.

“I lived a life apart,” he later said. “I felt separate from everyone else.”

Faith and Education

His parents, devout Catholics from the old country, encouraged his religious education. They sent him to St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on Mulberry Street. His mother would tell him, “Go around the corner, go to school.” There he discovered not just his faith, but also the vocation that would define his life.

Author’s Summary

The boy who once wished to serve God at the altar found another way to preach—through the lens, where his cinematic vision replaced the pulpit.

New Statesman — 2025-11-06